UdK Berlin, Berlin Summer University of the Arts

Summer Courses / Workshops

This summer, UDK BERLIN opens its doors once again: From June to September, the Berlin Summer University of the Arts 2023 presents 29 workshops in all artistic disciplines and beyond. Get inspired, focus on your art and make lasting connections in international and transdisciplinary settings at Europe’s largest art university.

Last year, the programme welcomed 300 participants from 40 countries. Registration is now open.

This year's focus on Translational Acts reflects the engaged dialogue between the disciplines at UdK Berlin. Artistic practice unfolds in the face of major social, political and technological transformation processes: questions of climate justice and sustainability, collectivity and diversity, or digitization are aesthetically translated in manifold ways. Crossing, transgressing, transcribing, rewriting borders and limits represent central dynamics of the Berlin Summer University of the Arts and you are invited to take part.

The programme opens with two courses by multimedia artist Elvira Hufschmid and conceptual artist Margit Schild (12 to 16 June / 19 to 22 June). Their transdisciplinary workshop “Aesthetic Transformation Processes” has been a source of inspiration for numerous artists in previous years. The newly conceived in-depth course “Part II” is therefore aimed at both new and former participants. New to the programme are, among others, urbanists Karsten Michael Drohsel and Turit Fröbe.

In “A Situationist Guidebook to Every City” (27 August to 2 September), they encourage a playful approach to the diversity of urban spaces. New perspectives will be explored and ultimately translated into a print product.

Daisuke Ishida's sound art workshop “Public Intervention with Sound” (31 July to 6 August) initiates a different artistic engagement with public spaces. Berlin Central Station as a junction between private and public, everyday life and tourist attraction, past and present, will be the focal point of this course.

In “Drawing as a Way of Knowing – Plants” (24 to 28 July) and “– Insects” (31 July to 2 August), participants will discover how nature can be examined in order to develop and sharpen artistic concerns. Under the guidance of visual artists Kerstin Hille and Oliver Thie, they will also confront the precarious reality of destroyed ecosystems.

Designers Robin Coenen and Felix Buchholz offer a more technological approach to ecological questions in their workshop “Data Sculptures as Translational Acts” (7 to 12 August): Moving beyond the limitations of two-dimensional data representation, this workshop will explore the intricacies of climate justice with physical data sculptures. Ragnhild A. Mørch, storyteller and renowned lecturer at UdK Berlin Career College, will host three workshops. Two consecutive workshops provide a sound introduction to the art of “Oral Storytelling” (19 to 21 June / 26 to 28 June).

Together with Suse Weisse, she also offers an introduction course to the transcultural practice of “Bilingual Co-Telling” (6 to 8 September). Aspiring playwrights will have an excellent opportunity to develop their personal writing approaches for the stage in “Playwriting — From Idea to Scene and Structure” (4 to 7 September) with John von Düffel and Gerhild Steinbuch.

Discover the whole programme here: summer-university.udk-berlin.de/


About the Berlin University of the Arts

The Berlin University of the Arts is one of the few art universities in Europe that combines all art disciplines and related sciences. The four faculties of Fine Arts, Design, Music and Performing Arts, as well as the Inter-University Centre for Dance (HZT) and Jazz (JIB Berlin) offer more than 70 artistic, artistic-scientific and artistic-pedagogical courses. Of around 4000 students, about one third have an international background.

The history of the Berlin University of the Arts dates back to the foundation of the Brandenburg–Prussian Academy of Arts in 1696.

The university acquired its present form in 1975 through a merger of the University of Fine Arts and the University of Music and Performing Arts to the University of the Arts (HdK). The Berlin University of the Arts got its present name in 2001.

With more than 700 events a year, the UdK Berlin significantly contributes to the cultural life of the city. Since 1 April 2020, Prof. Dr. Norbert Palz has been the President of the UdK Berlin.